Integrated voltage regulators known from the existing art offer the possibility of generating a variety of predefined output voltages. For many voltage regulators there are therefore different variant embodiments that differ only in terms of the output voltage to be regulated, although a separate regulator is to be used for each voltage value. There are also voltage regulators whose output voltage can be adjusted variably by adapting an external voltage divider. Regulation occurs here to a predefined “feedback” voltage of, for example, 1.2 V that is divided down from an output voltage of the regulator by an external voltage divider having at least two resistors. By varying this voltage divider it is possible to adjust the output voltage of the regulator, which is always higher than the feedback voltage. The existing variable circuits are for the most part highly fault-susceptible. An individual fault at one of the external voltage divider resistors can result directly in an incorrect and possibly damaging output voltage. Fault detection is usually possible only with difficulty, since the regulator itself cannot distinguish between a resistance value that is incorrectly too high or too low, and a resistance value deliberately selected to be too high or low.
German published application DE 10 2009 047 480 A1 discusses, for example, a control device and a method for applying control to a personal protection arrangement for a vehicle. The control device described encompasses a supply module that converts an input voltage for application of control to the personal protection arrangement. Connected between a vehicle supply voltage and the input voltage of the supply module is a voltage regulator that limits the input voltage to a defined first value.